ARCHIVE - GRADE 7


Links for the Rollercoaster Activity - Can you build the an "Exciting" roller coaster.


http://kids.discovery.com/games/build-play/build-a-coaster Try to reach a 9 or 10 on the "Fear-o-meter"


http://puzzling.caret.cam.ac.uk/game.php?game=roller How high was your score?


http://www.brainpop.com/games/coastercreator/ Print out your results on Cart B. What was your score and how was your coaster design rated ("snooze fest", etc.)

Simple Machines:
Cartoon about simple machines
Cartoon #2 about simple machines

Bill Nye and simple machines (backup URL)

Mechanical Advantage

End of Year Project - Travel brochure to a distant planet. Have fun and mix facts with imagination!



This is what you need to include in your brochure:
History of the planet

• When was it discovered and by whom?
• Who / what was it named after?
• What NASA (or Russian, etc.) spacecraft(s) has/have photographed or explored the planet? When? What did it discover? What did we learn from the mission?

Natural Features and Size

• What is the size of the planet compared to Earth?
• How many moons does the planet have?
• Does it have rings? What are they made of?
• What are some of the surface features? Volcanoes, ice, valleys, craters, storms, winds, etc.
• Include a map showing part of the surface of your planet and point out the locations of some surface features or “points of interest”.

Distance and Travel Time

• What type of spacecraft will travelers use to get to their destination?
• How far away is it from Earth?
• How long will it take to get there (in Earth days/hours) if the spacecraft is traveling at 30,000 miles per hour in space?
• Once you arrive, how long will a day be on the planet? How long will visitors stay?

What should travelers pack?

• What’s the range in surface temperatures? Will it require visitors to bring particular clothing?
• Is there an atmosphere? Will it require a visitor to wear special breathing apparatus?
• How long does it take the Sun’s light energy to reach it? Should visitors bring lights or candles?
• What other special gear should a visitor take along on their vacation?

Special Features and Bonuses

• What are the touristy things to do on your planet? Where will you stay?
• How long is a year there?
• How old would a 30-year old visitor from Earth be on your planet?
• How much is the force of gravity compared to Earth’s gravity?
• How much would a 100-pound visitor weigh on the planet? (Would travelers expect to gain or lose weight on the planet?)

Cost

• How much would a 7-day stay on the planet cost, including travel expenses?

Your contact information

• Include contact information for Out of This World Travel (and your name as the contact person).

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Research Links:

You may begin with the unofficial information from wikipedia.

NASA Home Page http://www.nasa.gov/

The Nine Planets (tour of the Solar System) http://www.nineplanets.org/

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

NASA Spinoffs http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2008/toc_2008.html

NASA Spinoffs: Bringing space down to earth http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html

Inventions From Space http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/spinoffs2.shtml

Spinoffs From Space http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0220/p18s05-hfgn.html

NASA Hits http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/hits2_flash/index_noaccess.html

In Class Activity:

Rube Goldberg Interactive site



Refer to these sites for your project:

http://kids.britannica.com/lm/passport/simple_machines.pdf